


Lighthouse

by abbyli



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Best Man, Christmas Time, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Healing, Hope, Maid of honor, Robb/Ygritte, Sister-Sister Relationship, Theon/Shireen, Wedding, past relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-12-14 04:07:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11775153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abbyli/pseuds/abbyli
Summary: Arya’s home in Winterfell to be maid of honor in her sister’s wedding. She’s not expecting the best man to be Gendry Waters, the man who broke her heart two years ago.





	1. Winterfell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Epicurean](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Epicurean/gifts).



.

.

“Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking. We will be landing in Winterfell City in ten minutes. Please buckle your seatbelts and return your seats to their full upright position. Thank you.”

Arya glances up from the book she was reading, looking around at her fellow passengers as they murmur softly to themselves and do as the pilot told them. She stands up and slides the book into her carryon bag in the compartment above her head and sits back down, redoing her belt.

In ten minutes this plane would be landing in the city she grew up in.

Arya looked around her neighbor to the window. Snow was already starting to flake from the sky and sticking to the glass.

Just how she remembered it.

Her sister was getting married in six days to Arya’s college roommate, Jon Snow. Sansa had thought it would have been romantic to get married the day before Christmas eve and Arya was not impressed. Getting a flight booked for a week before Christmas was not easy. But with some haggling she managed it.

“Welcome to Winterfell City. Happy holidays and I hope you enjoyed your flight.”

Arya follows the line of passengers down the boarding dock, the strap of her bag tucked over her shoulder. As she reaches for her duffel that just scoots past her on the baggage claim, a happy voice breaks out.

_“Auntie Arya!”_

She just manages to grab the wiggling limbs of her nephew with one arm while the other picks up the duffel that is eased away by her brother Robb. “How are you?!” she happily ruffles Odin’s curls, pressing her lips to his forehead.

“Fine!” Odin chirps, pulling away and allowing Arya to set him on the ground.

“Excited for Christmas and the wedding?” Arya asks and he nods so fast she’s sure his head is going to fly right off. Arya looks up at Robb’s smiling face, returning it with one of her own. “I’m glad to see you.”

Robb gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. “You too shorty.”

They head to Robb’s SUV, Odin still wrapped around Arya while Robb carries Arya’s bags. One bag has clothes and the other has presents. A few things had been sent ahead already and she sure hoped nosey eyes had peeked.

She stuffs her nephew into his booster seat and climbs into the front next to her brother. The two Stark men regale her with tales of home on the drive back to Winterfell Manor, her and Robb’s childhood home that Robb had inherited after their parents’ deaths. He lived there now with his wife Ygritte Wildling, their son, and Robb’s old malamute Grey Wind.

Sansa had taken Arya’s golden retriever Nymeria when she had moved away from Winterfell City. Nymeria got along well with Sansa’s Labrador Lady and it was easier that way rather than moving her clear across the city.

Their whole family and plus some would be jammed into that house for the next six days. It was a big house and there was always enough room but Bran was married and if the weather was shitty, Sansa and Jon would be stuck there until after Christmas and she really didn’t want to overhear their ‘wedding night’. Dammit, why didn’t she pack earplugs?

The drive to the manor takes forty five minutes and by the time they get there, Odin’s snoring in his booster seat. Arya smiles at her nephew, marveling at how much he looks like her brother. Ygritte would joke that Odin didn’t look a thing like her so he mustn’t be her child but oh he was. Odin looked just like Robb but he was his mother’s son through and through.

Robb throws the SUV into park and they sit there for a few minutes.

Arya’s voice breaks the silence. “What time does he get here?”

“Later tonight,” Robb replies softly. “He’s only going to be here for a few minutes and then he’s going to a hotel.”

“Did you talk to him?”

Robb nods. “I did. I asked him not to do anything that was going to upset you.”

Arya scoffs. “Robb, I appreciate that but you really didn’t have too. You barely know Gendry.”

“I know enough. I know how much he hurt you. I also know that he’s Jon’s best friend and has a right to be here so I couldn’t tell him to fuck off.”

Odin grunts sleepily. “Swear jar Daddy.”

Arya chuckles, squeezing Robb’s hand. “Thank you.”

He pats her fingers with his. “That’s what brothers are for.”

-;

She’s swooped on as soon as they get through the door. Sansa’s the last to hug her and she blubbers into her neck for a solid minute before Jon pries her off. “You’re getting her soggy, Sansa.”

“I’m sorry.” Sansa swipes at the tears on her cheeks. “It’s just so nice to see you. The last time you came home, Odin was...what, three? I think?”

Arya nods, accepting the mug of coffee Ygritte presses into her hand. “Something like that.”

“Break that habit, will you?” Jon asks and Arya kicks him under the table.

“You’re not the boss of me, Jon Snow.”

“Nah, you’re mine actually.”

Robb takes Arya’s bags upstairs to her old room, returning to help Ygritte pull a roast beef out of the oven. Conversation moves easily to her life in the Stormlands, Odin’s sixth birthday party coming up in January, and the wedding. They avoid the mention of Gendry Arya can tell everyone really wants to bring up.

Arya Stark was twenty six years old. She had a big family that loved her and for that she was grateful. After the deaths of Mayor Eddard and Catelyn Stark, so suddenly in a car wreck, the five siblings floundered for what seemed like months. Robb, who was just twenty, was terrified they were going to be split up and sent into foster care but Catelyn’s lawyer, Brienne Tarth had swooped in and made that not so.

Arya left Winterfell City the following year once she was accepted into Storm’s End University and hardly came back. She met Jon in her first few weeks at the school. He was looking for a roommate that liked dogs and she was looking for a room. They were a perfect fit.

Gendry and his cousin Shireen came not long after that. Shireen was a rich girl that had been written out of her father’s will because she dared reach out to family she didn’t know she had until recently, ie Gendry. Gendry was one of many of the old, fat, rich, and dead Robert Baratheon’s children and the only one that Shireen could actually find. The two became like brother and sister and were inseparable.

Shireen had been injured in a house fire when she was seven years old that had left her with burns on thirty percent of her body, including the left side of her face. The burns were old and healed and she was a beautiful girl but the scars were alarming to those who didn’t know her. Arya remembered having to bail Gendry and Jon out of jail once or twice when they tried to kick the snot out of some asshole who had called Shireen ‘ugly’ behind her back.

Two summers ago, Sansa had come to Storm’s End to visit her. She had driven down with Theon Greyjoy, an old friend of theirs from childhood. Theon had served in Afghanistan and his jeep had been bombed, leaving him with deep scars all over his back and in permanent pain for the rest of his life. He took one look at Shireen and she took one look at him and Arya knew they were gone. It was kind of irritating actually, all the love that was going around. Especially one afternoon when she had walked into her _own_ apartment to find Jon and Sansa in a compromising position on _her_ kitchen table.

There are some things you really can’t unsee.

The clatter of paws on the hardwood floor pulls Arya from her thoughts. She nearly falls out of her chair when Nymeria comes trotting into the kitchen, tail wagging and tongue hanging out.

“Hey girl!” Arya wraps her arms around the dog, rubbing her hands into her snowy fur. Lady follows with Ghost the Belgium Tervuran on her tail and Grey Wind bringing up the rear. Ygritte rises from the table and picks up her plate and Odin, who has already crawled out of his seat to go over to Grey Wind.

“Sweet Windy,” Odin exclaims happily, pulling on one of Grey Wind’s ears. Robb’s hands gently come down to pry his son’s fingers away.

“Grey Wind’s old, you shouldn’t do that,” Robb whispers against the crown of Odin’s head.

Arya smiles softly, wondering for just a moment why she has avoided coming home for so long.

An apple pie is passed around. “Is this from the bakery downtown?” Arya asks and Ygritte nods.

“Yeah, Sansa mentioned that apple pie was your favorite so Odin and I picked it up yesterday.”

“I had to put it on top of the fridge so Odin didn’t get into it,” Sansa adds with a laugh.

Odin scowls at his aunt, distracted a moment later when his mother places a slice in front of him with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. “Thanks Momma!”

Arya watches Odin dig into his pie, taking small bites of her own. Just as the last bit disappears, Odin begins to yawn. “Bed time little man.”

“Oh can I put him down?” Arya asks Ygritte.

“Yeah, can she Momma?” Odin chirrups.

Ygritte nods. “Sure.”

The other stand, gathering up the dishes while Arya scoops Odin up and tucks him under her arm. The boy screams in delight and Grey Wind begins to bark, trotting after them up the stairs to the nursery.

“So Odin, what is your usual bedtime routine?” When Odin opens his mouth to surely tell her a fib about staying up past midnight, she raises a warning brow. He deflates like a balloon and Grey Wind yips again.

“I get my pjs and either Momma or Daddy read me a story.”

“And is Grey Wind allowed to sleep with you?” Arya asks and Odin nods.

She waits, poking through her nephew’s large collection of books while he changes his clothes in the connecting bathroom. Odin comes charging out of the bathroom a moment later, his feet bare and leaps into the bed, reaching out his hands for Grey Wind. “Did you brush your teeth?”

“Yep!”

“What would you like to read?”

Odin looks at the books thoughtfully for a few moments before pointing to one. Arya’s fingers scan the spine and she pulls it from the shelf. “The Princess and the Boy?” she asks.

Odin nods, yawning sleepily. “Momma read it to me. Reminds me of you and uncle Gendry.”

A second passes before Arya notices her fingers are trembling. “Scoot over.” Grey Wind curls at their feet while Arya wraps an arm around Odin, gently brushing her fingers through his curls as she opens the book and begins to read.

It’s a story about a princess who fell in love with a commoner boy. The commoner boy was actually a prince that had been given away as a baby but didn’t know it and the boy didn’t think he was good enough for the princess. Everything worked out at the end and the princess and the new prince were able to marry and live happily ever after.

This was more Jon and Sansa’s story. Not hers and Gendry’s.

Odin snores on her shoulder for a few minutes and Arya’s seriously close to falling asleep herself. A clatter from downstairs pulls her out of her doze.

After tucking the blankets around Odin and patting Grey Wind on the head, she tiptoes from the room and kills the lights, closing the door behind her.

Downstairs, voices are coming from the kitchen. Her sister is exclaiming over something and another voice answers. A familiar voice that she hadn’t heard in two years.

“Very nearly didn’t make it up here. The snow’s coming down pretty heavily,” Gendry says as Arya enters the kitchen.

Robb walks past Gendry and flips on the back porch light. The snow is illuminated by the low light, falling thickly from the sky in near waves. Arya cannot even see the treeline.

Gendry’s eyes flicker to her and Arya nearly freezes. She cuts her own eyes away and walks to the stove where Ygritte had just prepared another pot of coffee. Ygritte’s eyes meet hers with the wordless question. _You okay?_

Arya nods. “Odin went down okay. He was asleep before I was done with the book.”

“Grey Wind tucked in with him?” Ygritte asks.

“Yep.”

“I’ll go check on him in a second. Robb, do you wanna -?” Ygritte waves a hand towards the stairs and Robb nods.

“Be back in a minute.”

“You should have went straight to your hotel. You’ll be lucky to get back down the hill in this weather,” Sansa admonishes Gendry, already a mother in training. Arya hides a smirk behind her coffee cup when she sees the exasperated look on Gendry’s face.

“I’m leaving right now,” Gendry tells her, reaching for his gloves again.

“Actually, you’re not.” Ygritte holds up her cell phone. “There’s a winter storm watch for tonight. We’re supposed to get eight to twelve inches.”

“There’s already at least six.”

“You’ll have to stay here, Gendry.”

All eyes, including Gendry’s land on Arya. She clears her throat, setting her coffee down. Before she can get any words out, Jon cuts in. “Let me get my coat. I will help you get your stuff.” A moment later the two men disappear and Arya breathes out a shaky sigh.

Robb walks back into the kitchen, noticing the eerie quiet. “What did I miss?”

“Nothing,” Arya murmurs softly. She leaves then, heading upstairs. Maybe this snow will clear up early and he will gone before she gets up in the morning.

Once she’s in her room, she shuts the door after her and lets out a gasping breath. Dammit, she hasn’t had a panic attack in six months. She sucks in another gulp of air, sliding down to the floor with her back against the door. To her grand annoyance, hot tears begin to spill down her cheeks. She angrily wipes them away, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip to swallow the sob that tries to escape.

A soft knock, followed by, “Arya?”

She reaches up behind her and twists the lock. Sansa lightly pushes the door open and quickly sits, pulling Arya into her lap. She tries to protest but the words fall on deaf ears. “It’s okay, just let it out.”

Arya does her best to pull in more air, to yank apart the broken bits of her heart and to get back on her feet. She was doing so well for two years. Even the day after it had happened, she had made like everything was just fine to those around her.

Robb had been the first to figure it out when she had paled at his question of Gendry coming to Odin’s third birthday party. She had to stop him from marching out the door to find him. More on Robb’s behalf though. Robb was tall but he was very slim while Gendry was a walking bulk. Gendry would have flattened him.

She had thought she could do this. She really did.

No. No she _could_ do it. Sansa’s arms tighten around her and more tears slide down her face. She could do this for her sister.

In six days she would stand at the end of winter wonderland aisle, Gendry across from her while Jon and Sansa stood between them, pledging their love for each other in front of God and those they love. She could do this.

“Thank you,” she sniffles into Sansa’s neck.

Sansa kisses her forehead. “This isn’t fair to you.”

“No.” She shakes her head. “It’s all right. It’s a lot though, seeing him again.”

“I really thought he would be at his hotel the whole time,” Sansa says.

She shrugs. “These things happen.”

Sansa gives her one more worried look before climbing to her feet, pulling Arya up with her. “Can I get you anything?”

Arya waves away the offer. “No thanks. I think I’m just going to shower and get some sleep. Odin will probably be up at the crack of dawn for a snowball fight.”

Sansa smiles. Her eyes suddenly brighten. “Can I tell you something? It might cheer you up.” Arya nods. “I’m going to have a baby.” She laughs at the startled look on Arya’s face, accepting the hug that she offers a moment after. “I haven’t told Jon yet. I was going to after the wedding. I have the ultrasound all wrapped up in Christmas paper.”

“He’s going to be ecstatic,” Arya smiles. She pops a kiss to her sister’s cheek. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks Arya.” The taller redhead fixes her with a deep look. “I’m really happy you’re here. You know that right?”

Arya hugs her one last time. “Me too, Sans.”

She leaves her alone then, opening the door back up to let Nymeria in. Her golden jumps up on the still made bed, happily mussing it up. Arya grins, running her fingers through her golden fur. “It’s good to be home.”

The room suddenly goes dark.

Arya’s hands still rest on the dog’s head. _“Power’s out!”_

No shit Jon.

“Okay Nymeria, let’s see if we can make it downstairs without falling on our faces.”

-;

Robb’s face is illuminated by the beam from the flashlight in Ygritte’s hands. “The furnace is run by electricity. I’m gonna build a fire. It will probably be better if we all sleep down here in the living room.”

“I’ll go get some blankets and the sleeping bags from our last camping trip,” Ygritte says, already passing her husband to the stairs.

“Should someone bring Odin down here?” Sansa asks.

“Yeah, I’ll go get him,” Arya says. Gendry’s the one to pass her another flashlight and their fingertips brush against each other’s just briefly. She pulls her hand away, not looking back as she trots back up the stairs, Nymeria following her.

Odin whines a bit when she gathers him up. “Where we going?”

“Back downstairs. The power’s out. We’re gonna have a sleepover!” Grey Wind yips in annoyance, sliding off the bed like he’s made of goo. “Come on Grey Wind, that means you too.”

Robb takes his son from her when she makes it back downstairs, getting him settled on the couch. Jon kneels by the fire, snowflakes still melting in his hair from when he had darted out the backdoor to collect some wood. Sansa spreads out a pile of blankets and pillows, kicking off her shoes as she steps on them. Lady darts up to her side and curls into her when Sansa lays down. Ghost waits patiently until Jon joins Sansa, flopping down across both of them. “ _Ghost!”_ Jon meekly protests but Sansa shushes him.

“I’ll take first shift to watch the fire,” Gendry offers.

“You don’t have to do that,” Arya replies but Gendry shakes his head.

“That’s all right. I don’t mind.”

Arya sighs, pawing at her own pile of blankets like Nymeria. She pulls two quilts over her legs, sliding her phone out of her pocket and wondering there is a signal. Nothing. Nymeria lays beside her, her mouth open and breathing the scent of kibble in her face. Arya doesn’t mind. She plays a quick game of solitaire on her phone, feeling her eyelids beginning to droop.

The room fills with snores and soft coos and huffs. Odin’s little arm hangs off the edge of the sofa, his fingers twined with his mother’s. Grey Wind is curled at Odin’s feet on the cushions. Robb lays beside Ygritte, his head resting in the crook of her neck.

Nymeria mumbles softly. Arya strokes her fingers on top of her sleek head.

The fire crackles away merrily, filling the room with it’s gentle warmth. Arya kills the light on her phone, shutting it off and tucking underneath her pillow. She didn’t know how long the power would be out so she needed to save the battery.

Gendry sits on the floor, leaning against the armchair nearest to the fire. He has one blanket over his legs, his own phone resting in his lap. Arya sniffs loudly through her nose, fighting her annoyance when she sees his hands shaking.

“Scooch over Nymeria.” She climbs to her feet and pads over to where a few stray blankets had been tossed, picking up a quilt and flopping it over Gendry’s legs. He looks over to her like she had suddenly sprouted antlers but she was already walking away, crawling back into her own nest of blankets and pillows.

She’s just falling asleep when she hears a soft, “Thank you.”

Wrapping her arm around Nymeria, she presses her face into the dog’s fur, letting the much needed sleep finally take her over.

.

.


	2. Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: YOU GUYYYSSSSSSS! Enjoy the new chapter to celebrate the arrival of our beautiful bastard. Now fingers crossed he survives the show.

.

.

Nymeria’s snoring wakes her.

Arya rolls onto her back and fishes for her phone. The lights are still out and the room is still cloaked in darkness except for the glowing embers of the fire. She shines the light from her phone around and realizes Gendry is not by the fire anymore.

A soft clatter from the kitchen comes then.

She rises to her feet, carefully stepping over Robb and Ygritte’s legs, and pads into the kitchen.

Gendry’s doing his best to prepare a pot of coffee with one low beam from a flashlight laying on the counter. He dribbles coffee grounds onto the table and swears softly under his breath. It’s then Arya sees his hands are still shaking.

“When was the last time you ate?”

The second spoonful of grounds goes flying. Gendry glares at her, looking down at the mess with annoyance. “Uh, what time is it?”

Arya looks at her phone one more time before turning it off. “Nearly four.”

“Yesterday morning.”

Arya groans. She points to a chair at the kitchen table. “Sit. I’ll make you something.”

“With no power?” He pulls out the chair and sits on the edge of it.

Arya ducks her head into the fridge after swiping up the flashlight. There are four slices of roast beef left and a half of a tomato. If they can get out of here sometime today, she’s going to try to go grocery shopping.

“Actually, don’t sit. Can you grab me the bread? It’s on top of the microwave.”

“Sure.”

She slices the bread after sniffing it. So sue her, she loves the smell of freshly baked bread. After a minute, Gendry leans back as she places a sandwich in front of him. “You, uh, cut it diagonally?”

Arya nods. “I remember how picky you were about that.”

Gendry’s mouth spreads into a soft smile and her heart aches so much that she has to turn away. “Thanks Arya.”

Odin pads into the kitchen then, followed closely by Grey Wind and Nymeria. “Aunt Arya?”

“Hey buddy. What are you doing up?”

The little boy rubs a fist into his eye. “Is it morning yet?”

“Not yet, sweetling. How about a glass of milk and you go back to bed?”

Odin clampers into the chair across from Gendry, still not noticing him. As Arya reaches into the fridge, the lights come back on and startle her so much that she nearly drops the glass bottle onto the floor.

Odin sees Gendry then and lets out a screech that sets Grey Wind and Nymeria barking and wakes up everyone else in the living room. Arya reaches back into the fridge for carrots to shush the dogs but the damage is done. Uncaring, Odin practically throws himself into Gendry’s arms, Gendry laughing as he scoops the boy up.

“I missed you!” Odin’s little hands press against his face. “Did you bring me a Christmas present?”

Gendry smiles that smile that used to send shivers down Arya’s spine. “What do you think?”

Odin laughs happily and Gendry shifts him so he’s more comfortable in his lap.

“What’s going on?” Arya looks up to see Robb walk into the kitchen followed by a yawning Sansa. “Oh the power’s back on.”

Sansa pokes him in the back. “Observant.”

“Odin finally noticed Gendry is here,” Arya moves back to the stove to prepare coffee.

“And now Odin is going back to his own bed. Come on.” Odin starts to whine as Robb plucks him from Gendry’s lap. “Uncle Gendry will still be here in a few hours.”

“Good night buddy,” Gendry kisses the boy’s hand.

“But it’s morning, Daddy!” Odin protests, still whining as Robb carries him from the room.

Sansa adjusts the time on the digital clock on the oven. “Okay I’m gonna get my fiancee and my dogs and go back to bed.” She kisses Arya noisily on the cheek. “Night all.”

“Night Sansa.”

Grey Wind trots after Sansa while Nymeria lingers, wandering over to stick her golden head underneath Gendry’s arm. Arya fights a frown. Fluffy traitor. “She remembers you.”

Gendry feeds Nymeria a corner of his sandwich. “She remembers if she bats her big brown eyes at me enough I’ll give her a bit of my food.” Sure enough once Nymeria has snagged the bite of bread, she yips happily and trots from the room.

Arya smiles. That’s her girl. When she looks back, Gendry is watching her. He opens his mouth to say something but she cuts him off. “I’m gonna go back to bed. Night.”

Like the coward she feels like, she bolts from the kitchen. When she gets back out to the living room, Jon’s still sitting on the sofa, Ghost laying at his feet. “What are you doing?”

“Waiting for you. Can I talk to you for a moment?” he asks.

Arya nods. Jon cuts his eyes towards the front door and stands up. Arya slides her feet into her shoes and snatches up a jacket off of the coat rack. The jacket is kind of long on her, must be one of Sansa’s. She follows Jon out the door, gasping slightly at the chill on her legs. “Hurry up before my toes fall off.”

Jon shuts the door, glancing through the glass to make sure no one was following them. “I wanted to apologize for this.”

“For what?” Arya asks, already knowing the answer. She sighs at the pointed look on her friend’s face. “Look, Jon, I’m not going to lie to you. After Sansa told me you had asked Gendry to be your best man, I wracked my brain looking for a way to wiggle out of this. But I couldn’t do that. I love Sansa and I love you.”

The gratitude on his face nearly breaks her heart. “Arya...”

“And you love Gendry,” she adds with a small smile. “It’s okay – _oof!”_ The wind is nearly knocked out of her when Jon pulls her into his arms. She smiles into his shoulder, patting his back.

He kisses her forehead when he turns her loose. “Thank you.”

-;

The pounding in her head wakes her.

“Aunt Arya _!” Bang bang bang._

Oh. So the pounding is not in her head but on the door.

_“Odin, let aunt Arya sleep!”_

_“B-but we’re gonna have a snowball fight!”_

_“_ After _breakfast, young man. Now go downstairs.”_

Arya rolls over onto her back, brushing her hair out of her face. Nymeria stirs on the rug beside her bed, lifting her head. “What time is it, Nymeria?”

Her dog looks back at her with one eyebrow raised. She leaps to her feet and jogs over to the door, sitting by and giving her an expectant look. Arya groans again, kicking the covers off of her legs. “Time to go out.”

She slides her feet into sneakers and grabs a knit sweater from a pile of clothes she had yet to put back into her dresser, yanking that on on top of her teeshirt. Nymeria’s out the door the moment she opens it, jogging down the steps with the energy of a puppy. Arya follows, her eyes on the floor and walking right into a solid wall of muscle.

“Oh sorry.” Familiar hands rest on her shoulders, steadying her. She looks up into Gendry’s blue hues and feels a flush creep up her neck. “Should have looked where I was going.”

“It’s all right.” Gendry lets her loose, waiting until she passes. They could stand here in a staring match but the smell of pancakes is becoming too tantalizing and Nymeria’s pounding her feet on the floor, ready to go outside.

“I’m coming Nymeria.” She chooses her dog, tearing her eyes away from Gendry and walking into the kitchen. Robb pulls the back door open and Nymeria races out, barely making it into the yard before she does her business. “Just in time.”

“Pancakes, Arya?” Sansa offers, sliding a plate under her nose.

Arya raises a brow at her sister. “You really think I’d say no?”

Sansa laughs, handing her a fork.

Gendry takes the plate that Sansa offers him. “Uncle Gendry, will you have a snowball fight with us?” Odin asks.

Arya sneaks a peek at his face and sees a smile turning his mouth up. “I would love too.”

“Any sign of the plows?” Ygritte asks.

Jon shakes his head. “Not yet. I had to fiddle with the tv to get it back in order. The weather report says they’re calling for another four inches of snow this morning. The plows will probably get out sometime this afternoon.”

Sansa groans. “I had my final fitting at two at Melisandre’s. I guess I will have to call and see if she can reschedule for later this afternoon. Arya, did you --?”

“No actually I was going to go with you and pick out a dress there.”

Sansa brightens. “That sounds wonderful.”

“I gotta call the hotel and see if they can hold my reservation,” Gendry sets his plate down and slides his phone from his pocket. He disappears from the room and around the corner.

“Oh!” Robb looks up from his food. “I forgot. Bran texted me about an hour ago. He’s here in Winterfell. He’s staying with Meera and her brother but he will be at the wedding lunch day after tomorrow. I haven’t heard from Rickon yet.”

“I did.” Sansa bites the tip off of a strawberry. “He said he’s not going to be able to drive out until two days before Christmas, weather permitting. So he will be here for the wedding at least. He said he’s bringing Shaggydog with him.”

“Is Uncle Bran bringing Summer?” Odin asks.

“I don’t know, honey,” Robb replies.

_“Shit!”_

“Swear jar uncle Gendry!”

“What’s wrong?” Jon asks as Gendry walks back into the kitchen.

“The hotel gave away my room when I wasn’t able to show up last night. Because of the storm people were swarming in.”

“Have you tried any other hotels?” Ygritte asks.

Gendry nods. “They’re all full. The manager at one literally laughed at me when I asked if there was even a cot. The holidays and such.”

“Well...” Robb chances a glance at Arya. “Since Bran’s not going to be staying here after all...” Arya dips her chin. _It’s okay._ “You can keep his room.”

Gendry shakes his head. “No, no, no. That’s not right.”

“Where are you gonna go?” Arya cuts in, surprising them all. “It’s a high of four degrees outside and it’s five days before Christmas. Keep the room.” A murmur of agreements float around the kitchen. Gendry’s face flushes.

“If you’re sure.”

Odin claps his hands together. “Yay!”

Arya smiles briefly, stuffing a bite of strawberry in her mouth.

Odin shoves one last bite of pancake in his face and lets his fork fall with a clatter on the plate. He looks at his father expectedly. “Can we go for the snowball fight now?”

Robb stares back at his son. “Can you wait ten more minutes for everyone else to finish their food?”

“I’m done,” Sansa says, letting her plate fall into the sink.

“Me too.”

“Me three.”

_“Woof!”_

-;

“Ygritte, he’s not going to be able to move.”

“It’s two degrees outside.”

Arya smirks down at her exasperated nephew. Odin is wrapped up in so many layers it will be a wonder if he can even waddle once his mother turns him loose. Odin peeks out underneath the two knits caps on head and shoots her a pleading look. Arya reaches down and pulls one cap off. “He can’t even see. Come on, Ygritte.”

“Arya!” The redhead turns to look at her. “He’s my baby. When you have one of your own then you will understand!”

Arya starts to laugh, shaking her head fondly. When she first met Ygritte, she never imagined someone like her to be a wife and a mother. She was loud, swore like a sailor, and constantly got into fights with assholes. Honestly, Arya thought she would have been a better fit with Jon, not Robb.

When Sansa told her that Ygritte had gotten arrested for punching out the father of a rotten little boy who had bullying Odin at kindergarten, who had dared tell Ygritte that her son needed to ‘man up’, Arya had laughed for over an hour. And then she sent three hundred dollars to Robb to help him with Ygritte’s thousand dollar bail.

“Help meeee,” Odin moans dramatically. And then to prove Arya’s point, he takes three steps and falls right on his little bum.

Arya points at the wriggling child. “See, I told you! He’s like a bug flipped on his back!”

“Okay, okay, okay.”

Ten minutes later, Arya stands on the back porch watching as Jon throws snowballs for Ghost and Nymeria to chase. Ygritte and Robb are helping Odin build that fort he has been talking about since last night. Sansa’s whispering something to Gendry and he hugs her then, lifting her right off of her feet as she squeals. Lady and Grey Wind come charging forward, both dogs slithering through and breaking the embrace. Lady leaps, pushing her front paws into Sansa’s chest and knocking her backwards into the snow.

 _“Windy!”_ Grey Wind pivots, dancing on all four feet and then making a flying piroette into the fort that had just been completed. Odin’s laughter is like music to Arya’s ears.

_Wham!_

Her skin tingles and reddens, snow sliding down her cheek and into her collar. She turns furiously to her right and sees Gendry holding a second snowball, getting ready to throw it with a mischievous smile on his face.

“Why you –!” The snowball hits her in the chest, spattering down her front. She makes a rude gesture at Gendry and his laughter immediately turns into a look of panic as he turns on his heel and dives behind the snowfort.

Sansa yells and Arya turns to see her sister suddenly covered in snow too, Robb ducking back down and using his son as a shield. “Odin get over here!”

The boy eagerly abandons his parents and joins her, Sansa and Jon. “Traitor!” Ygritte yells. Odin laughs, jogging to catch up with them.

“Okay this is war,” Arya whispers. She meets Gendry’s eyes and he waggles a brow. She’s gonna kick his ass.

-;

Time wages on and Arya’s freaking freezing. Snow is down her front and in her boots and her hair is frozen and plastered to her face. Sansa doesn’t look much better, her braid soaking wet and falling from it’s plait. Jon’s already out, sitting cross legged in the snow with Odin in his lap.

Arya smacks a snowball into the back of Robb’s head. He holds up his hands in surrender and ducks the next one that Sansa manages to aim at Ygritte. “Don’t hit me anymore!” He moves around the third one and falls next to Jon in the snow.

Ygritte tags out Sansa and Arya manages to tag out Ygritte, which leaves just her and Gendry.

She rises to her feet, holding four snowballs in the crook of her arm. She throws one up in the air, remembering her years of softball playing with a smirk. “You wanna risk it, Waters?”

Gendry smiles with an air of devilish glee. “Bring it on, Stark.”

And for that moment, just that one moment, everything is good again.

She aims one snowball right for his groin. He manages to thwack her in the shoulder blades. She throws the last one at his head and then, for some reason, drops the others and leaps right at him, knocking him backwards into the snow. He rolls her over, bracketing her torso with his legs and pinning her arms above her head. “Give it up Stark.”

“Not in a million years, Waters.” She tries to wriggle free, still laughing. “You know me.”

A sad smile suddenly crosses Gendry’s face. “Yeah. Yeah I do.”

He lets her loose. Nymeria comes bounding up, her whole body actually vibrating with excitement.

“Come on guys. This little guy’s turning blue. Time to go in.”

Arya clampers to her feet with Sansa’s help, confusion washing over her. Gendry walks ahead, his back to her. Sansa’s arm wraps around her shoulders. “Let’s get some hot chocolate.”

“O-okay.” Her voice quavers but not from the cold. Judging by Sansa’s arm tightening around her, she heard it.

-;

Ygritte looks down as Odin’s little head slumps against her chest. She runs her fingers over his curls. “Somebody is out.”

“I’ll put him down.” Robb reaches for their son, gathering him up in his arms. “Come on Grey Wind.”

 _“Woof!”_ The dog trots after Robb and Odin as they leave the room, Odin’s sleepy mumbling in their wake.

A sudden deep growling hits everyone’s ears. Arya leans out the kitchen window. “The plow’s  here!”

“Oh thank god!” Sansa moans. “I’m gonna go get changed and then do you still want to go with me to the fitting?”

“Sure.”

She leaves then, Ygritte following her. Jon’s outside gathering more firewood in case of another power outage. Gendry glances at her over the top of his mug. She looks back, her heart hammering in her throat.

“Arya –“

“Gendry –“

She bites a smile. “Go ahead.”

Gendry licks his lips, his finger running over the rim of his mug. “I wanted to apologize for that outside. I shouldn’t’ve –“

“Tackled me?” Arya asks, raising a brow.

“Hey, _you_ tackled me!”

“Oh I suppose I did,” Arya laughs softly. “Gendry, don’t be stupid. It was just a snowball fight.  You didn’t hurt me.”

“You sure?” he asks and Arya can see he looks genuinely worried. It takes her another second to realize he isn’t referencing the snowball fight at all.

Swallowing back the pain, she nods. “I’m fine. No hurt feelings here.” She sets her own mug down with a clang and leaves the room.

“Arya –“

She doesn’t look back.

He didn’t look back two years ago.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh ohhhhh.   
> And I kinda get why Gendry didn’t say Arya’s name. He probably thinks she’s dead and he probably doesn’t want any confirmation of it and would rather live with the thought that she escaped and is happy somewhere. That’s my story and I am sticking to it.   
> Leave reviews if you want the next chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> Leave reviews to get the next chapter. I hope ya’ll liked!


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